Q: What qualifies a species for endangerment?
A: A species becomes endangered as soon as it is in danger of becoming extinct. Scientists study trends of populations of species, and if an overall decrease causes concern, then it will be considered "endangered."
Q: Where are they?
A: Endangered species can be found anywhere, and are not limited to one region of the world. The majority of endangered species have become so because of human development of land, meaning any place where humans are growing ("Endangered Species"). A good example of this is in developing countries. As morality rates rapidly rise, more resources are needed, which often mean the destruction of forests for fire wood, etc.
What characteristics are common among endangered/extinct species?
Small Range - the entire species is only found in limited areas This makes sense as the whole population of a species is confined to one area. Something such as a storm or a plague could wipe out a whole species or cause it to become endangered. Example: The Dodo bird. Losing the ability to fly over time, dodos were easy to kill, therefore humans hunted them until their extinction. Large Territory - individuals cover lots of ground (more conflicts possible) These species need a lot of land to survive, so they are more likely to become separated because of development, logging, etc. Example: Siberian tiger, needs a large forested area; logging has isolated them from each other and because of new logging roads, poachers have access to previously isolated areas.
Siberian Tiger: an Endangered Species
http://www.tigersincrisis.com/siberian_tiger.htm
Endemic to an island - evolved in isolation, very specialized Just like a small range species, some very insignificant change could cause it to be wiped out or close to it. Example: The blue whale. Every year more polychlorinated biphenyl is dumped into our oceans. This chemical causes disease in the blue whales and leads to many deaths of this already endangered species that could have been avoided. Low reproductive rates - populations cannot rebound quickly Thriving populations are ones that reproduce at a significant rate. A species with a low reproductive rate is already at risk of becoming endangered excluding any possible changes to its environment. Example: The Giant Panda. Scientists have found that once in captivity, the giant panda no longer has any interest in mating. This means that artificial insemination is used in most cases. http://www.biojobblog.com/giant-panda-china-big(1).jpg Specialized feeding habits - eat limited things Any change can cause a species to become endangered, especially when its appetite is limited. Example: The Giant Panda. Pandas eat bamboo, and with deforestation in Asia at an all time high, Pandas are losing food everyday, and this food can not be replaced. http://www.xinjiangsnowleopards.org/gifs/snow-leopard.jpg High on the food chain - impacted by everything below it (also conflicts with humans) If any level on the food chain gets reduced or eliminated, it will have a ripple effect both up and down the food chain. Example: The Snow Leopard. Population number decreases as less wild sheep are available in southeast asia.
- The 1973 Endangered Species list replaced earlier laws enacted in 1966 and 1969. As of November of 2002, there were 517 species of animals and 745 species of plants in the U.S. on the list of endangered species. It also lists nearly 560 foreign species. The law was created to protect endangered and threatened species. It was also created to protect their ecosystems and promote their recovery. (Malmsheimer)
The Red List
- The red list is an international list of species by conservation status, whether it be extinct or not evaluated. There are nine different classifications. The committee who runs the Red List is the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN). Some notable numbers are the critically endangered (882 species) and the endangered (1,779 species). An analysis of recent data has shown an increase of the number of species at risk of extinction, which many believe has been caused by man-made environmental changes. ("Endangered Species")
Why is biodiversity important?
- Biodiversity is important because certain niches are necessary in some ecosystems. It is important to protect endangered species because if one species dies, it's niche will no longer be filled. If another species depends on that species (or that niche to be filled), it too may die out, possibly creating a domino effect if the first species' niches is not filled. There is also risk of overpopulation if a predator dies.
Sources Malmsheimer, Robert W. "Endangered Species Act." Water: Science and Issues. Ed. E. Julius Dasch. Vol. 2. New York: Macmillan Reference USA, 2003. 21-24. Global Reference on the Environment, Energy, and Natural Resources. Gale. Pace Academy. 28 Oct. 2009
"Endangered Species." Encyclopedia of Environment and Society. Ed. Paul Robbins. Vol. 2. Los Angeles: Sage Publications Inc., 2007. 560-563. Global Reference on the Environment, Energy, and Natural Resources. Gale. Pace Academy. 29 Oct. 2009
<http://find.galegroup.com/grnr/start.do?prodId=GRNR>.
A: A species becomes endangered as soon as it is in danger of becoming extinct. Scientists study trends of populations of species, and if an overall decrease causes concern, then it will be considered "endangered."
Q: Where are they?
A: Endangered species can be found anywhere, and are not limited to one region of the world. The majority of endangered species have become so because of human development of land, meaning any place where humans are growing ("Endangered Species"). A good example of this is in developing countries. As morality rates rapidly rise, more resources are needed, which often mean the destruction of forests for fire wood, etc.
What characteristics are common among endangered/extinct species?
Small Range - the entire species is only found in limited areas
This makes sense as the whole population of a species is confined to one area. Something such as a storm or a plague could wipe out a whole species or cause it to become endangered.
Example: The Dodo bird. Losing the ability to fly over time, dodos were easy to kill, therefore humans hunted them until their extinction.
Large Territory - individuals cover lots of ground (more conflicts possible)
These species need a lot of land to survive, so they are more likely to become separated because of development, logging, etc.
Example: Siberian tiger, needs a large forested area; logging has isolated them from each other and because of new logging roads, poachers have access to previously isolated areas.
http://www.tigersincrisis.com/siberian_tiger.htm
Endemic to an island - evolved in isolation, very specialized
Just like a small range species, some very insignificant change could cause it to be wiped out or close to it.
Example: The blue whale. Every year more polychlorinated biphenyl is dumped into our oceans. This chemical causes disease in the blue whales and leads to many deaths of this already endangered species that could have been avoided.
Low reproductive rates - populations cannot rebound quickly
Thriving populations are ones that reproduce at a significant rate. A species with a low reproductive rate is already at risk of becoming endangered excluding any possible changes to its environment.
Example: The Giant Panda. Scientists have found that once in captivity, the giant panda no longer has any interest in mating. This means that artificial insemination is used in most cases.
http://www.biojobblog.com/giant-panda-china-big(1).jpg
Specialized feeding habits - eat limited things
Any change can cause a species to become endangered, especially when its appetite is limited.
Example: The Giant Panda. Pandas eat bamboo, and with deforestation in Asia at an all time high, Pandas are losing food everyday, and this food can not be replaced.
http://www.xinjiangsnowleopards.org/gifs/snow-leopard.jpg
High on the food chain - impacted by everything below it (also conflicts with humans)
If any level on the food chain gets reduced or eliminated, it will have a ripple effect both up and down the food chain.
Example: The Snow Leopard. Population number decreases as less wild sheep are available in southeast asia.
http://www.dosomething.org/files/Images/Endangered_species_graph_from_naturewatch.gif
What are we doing to help endangered species?
Endangered Species Act
- The 1973 Endangered Species list replaced earlier laws enacted in 1966 and 1969. As of November of 2002, there were 517 species of animals and 745 species of plants in the U.S. on the list of endangered species. It also lists nearly 560 foreign species. The law was created to protect endangered and threatened species. It was also created to protect their ecosystems and promote their recovery. (Malmsheimer)The Red List
- The red list is an international list of species by conservation status, whether it be extinct or not evaluated. There are nine different classifications. The committee who runs the Red List is the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN). Some notable numbers are the critically endangered (882 species) and the endangered (1,779 species). An analysis of recent data has shown an increase of the number of species at risk of extinction, which many believe has been caused by man-made environmental changes. ("Endangered Species")Why is biodiversity important?
- Biodiversity is important because certain niches are necessary in some ecosystems. It is important to protect endangered species because if one species dies, it's niche will no longer be filled. If another species depends on that species (or that niche to be filled), it too may die out, possibly creating a domino effect if the first species' niches is not filled. There is also risk of overpopulation if a predator dies.Sources
Malmsheimer, Robert W. "Endangered Species Act." Water: Science and Issues. Ed. E. Julius Dasch. Vol. 2. New York: Macmillan Reference USA, 2003. 21-24. Global Reference on the Environment, Energy, and Natural Resources. Gale. Pace Academy. 28 Oct. 2009
"Endangered Species." Encyclopedia of Environment and Society. Ed. Paul Robbins. Vol. 2. Los Angeles: Sage Publications Inc., 2007. 560-563. Global Reference on the Environment, Energy, and Natural Resources. Gale. Pace Academy. 29 Oct. 2009
<http://find.galegroup.com/grnr/start.do?prodId=GRNR>.